“If you don’t design your life, then someone else may just design it for you, and you may not like their idea of balance.” – Nigel Marsh
Legal practitioners often lead busy, stressful lives, dominated by extensive working hours and sometimes demanding clients. It is therefore important to balance your work and career with your commitments to family and friends, as well as making sure you look after yourself.
Being Well in the Law
Being Well in the Law is a toolkit, guide and health and wellbeing resource for lawyers. The publication, originally developed by the Law Society of New South Wales, has been adapted by the Law Society of Western Australia to ensure it is relevant to the needs of WA lawyers and to reflect WA specific resources. We thank the Law Society of NSW for allowing the publication to be adapted in this manner.
Flexible Work Protocols
The Law Society is committed to encouraging successful flexible workplace protocols amongst law practices.
In 2011, with the approval of Victorian Women Lawyers (VWL), the Law Society had adopted the VWL’s Flexible Work Proposal/Business Case and Individual Flexible Work Plan as the Law Society’s Flexible Work Protocols.
On 22 September 2015 the Law Society of Western Australia resolved to adopt the VWL’s 2015 Flexible Work Protocols: A best practice guide for productive and engaged legal workplaces (2015 Flexible Work Protocols).
The VWL’s 2015 Flexible Work Protocols was launched on 13 April 2015. In a media release, Ms Kirsten Adams, VWL Convenor, said the most recent impetus for the development of the 2015 Flexible Work Protocols was the 2014 report of the Law Council of Australia’s National Attrition and Re-engagement Study which examined the experience of about 4,000 women lawyers nationally.
The Law Society acknowledges the outstanding work of the VWL in the preparation of the 2015 Flexible Work Protocols and thanks the VWL for permission to adopt them as the Law Society’s Flexible Work Protocols.
It is acknowledged by the Law Society that the 2015 Flexible Work Protocols may not be suitable for every law practice. However, members are encouraged to either follow or adapt this very useful tool, as applicable.
